Shifting Blame (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: The team discovers who has been sending threatening packages to John and Carrie.


_Mari & Ilna: What can I say? I'm enjoying this adventure every bit as much as I was on day one. Maybe more._

 _REAL Worlders-thanks for all the enthusiastic support. You guys are the best._

* * *

 **Shifting Blame**

 **Five-0 Headquarters**

 **Friday**

 **10:20 A.M.**

"Thanks. I'll let you know what we find out."

Danny, Chin, and Kono turned from their positions at the smart table when they heard Steve exiting his office, where he'd gone a few minutes earlier to take a call from the chief of a small police department just outside New Orleans. There was something about the tone of his voice as he wrapped up the call that gave them hope they were finally making progress identifying the suicide victim from the old newspaper article that had been sent to Carrie and John.

"Do we have an ID on the body?" Danny asked hopefully.

"Finally." Steve swiped the information from his phone up onto the overhead screens. "His name was Eric Bennett. We got a hit on his prints in a place called Breaux Bridge, Louisiana."

"Looks like he was a one-man crime wave," Kono said as she scanned the list of arrests. "Drunk and disorderly, petty larceny, assault."

Chin tapped a few keys. "That's weird," he said as he looked at the overhead screens. "There's nothing on this guy prior to 2003."

"Maybe he wasn't in trouble before then," Danny suggested.

"I'm not talking about just arrests." Chin continued to tap keys. "He registered a car in Louisiana in July of 2003 but there's no record he even existed before that."

"There has to be something." Danny's forehead creased as he watched Chin's searches come up empty one after the other. "The medical examiner placed the guy's age at 25-35. He has to have had a job or opened a bank account."

Chin shook his head. "If he did I can't find it."

"Maybe he was in witness protection?" Kono suggested.

"Doubtful," Steve replied. "They're much better about creating a full background for people they relocate."

"Sure looks like he was hiding from someone," Danny said. "Question is, who?"

Before he could offer an opinion, Steve's phone rang.

"Hi, Carrie. What's up?"

" _Steve, I just got off duty and came home and … I think there's something you need to see."_

"Are you ok? Is John with you?"

" _I'm fine. I called John and he's leaving base now."_

"Ok hang tight. We're on our way."

* * *

 **Carrie & John's House**

 **11:15 A.M.**

The Five-0 team examined the contents of the box Carrie had found on their front porch. Inside was the decomposing carcass of a dead, bloody rat.

"If whoever is doing this has something to say they should just say it and stop with the cryptic messages," Carrie said angrily. Her nerves had been on edge for weeks and it was starting to take a toll.

"We identified the dead guy as Eric Bennett," Steve said. "So far we don't have many details, but we know he spent time in Louisiana. Does that ring a bell for either of you?"

"No." Carrie and John shook their heads in unison.

Steve folded the flaps back down and examined the package. The sides of the box bore the familiar Amazon logo. On the top was what appeared to be a legitimate mailing label. The return address was a department number at Pearl that neither Steve, John, nor Carrie recognized.

"I didn't even look at the return address," Carrie admitted. "I just saw the box, assumed it was the shoes I ordered, and opened it."

"It's not like a package from them appearing on the porch is a rare occurrence," John teased as he squeezed his wife's forearm. "In fact, is she goes more than a week without ordering they call to make sure she's ok."

Steve smiled. He knew John was trying to diffuse the tension. "You should talk to Joseph about that," he chuckled. "Apparently they offer a lot of baby things Elizabeth can't find here on the island."

"Actually … " Carrie grinned. "The shoes I'm waiting for aren't for me. They're for Angie."

Steve shook his head. "Angie doesn't need any more shoes."

"Spoken like a man who wears the same pair of boots every day," Carrie snorted. "A girl needs shoes to match her outfits. And they are so adorable. They have little polka dot bows on the heels."

Steve, unwilling to fight the shoe battle with Carrie with everything that was going on, turned his attention back to the box. He lifted it carefully to check the bottom. "Why include some obscure department code on the label if it doesn't mean anything?"

Carrie pulled out her phone. "Give me a minute and I'll find out which department it is." She stepped away from the group as the call connected.

"I'll have the lab go over the label with a fine-toothed comb," Danny said. "See what he can find out."

Steve handed Danny the box. "Sounds good."

Carrie slid her phone into her pocket and rejoined the group with a wary look on her face.

"What'd you find out?" Steve asked.

"It's the Personal Conduct and Ethics section," Carrie replied.

Judging by the look on her face there was more to the story. They all waited until she gathered her thoughts and spoke again.

"Commander Davidson just mentioned to me last week that he's sitting on the review board in that department this quarter."

Steve's jaw tightened. "I think it's time we pull the commander in for a talk."

* * *

 **HPD**

 **1:20 P.M.**

"Thanks for coming in to talk to us this afternoon," Steve said as he and Danny sat down across the table from a very confused looking Commander Davidson. "I want to reiterate again that you're not under arrest. You're free to go anytime you want."

"I understand that," Davidson replied. "What I don't understand is what this is all about. What am I doing here? I'm more than willing to cooperate. I just don't understand what's going on."

"We want to talk to you about Carrie Stagler and John Parker," Danny said as he leaned slightly forward in his chair, elbows on the table.

"Is Carrie ok?" Davidson asked worriedly.

"She's fine." Steve eyed the man carefully, sizing him up. "What makes you think she wouldn't be?"

Davidson exhaled heavily. "Can everything I say be off the record for now?"

"That depends." Steve said cautiously. "Why go off the record?"

"Because I've heard some things." Davidson tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Rumors. But I'm not sure if they're true, and if they're not, I don't want to make trouble for anyone."

Steve and Danny glanced at each other.

The man seemed sincere.

"Fine," Steve agreed. "Off the record for now."

"A couple of weeks after I got transferred to Pearl I was walking in the park and I ran into Lt. Commander Stagler and her husband," Davidson said. "Turns out they lived right down the block from the apartment I rented."

Danny tapped his fingers on the table. "You didn't know they lived there when you signed the lease?"

Davidson shook his head. "The housing office gave me a list of possible rentals and I just took the first one. I hate the hassle of looking for a new place and that one had everything I need. It's close to the base and close to lots of restaurants which is important because I don't cook. There's a Thai place, and a great Mexican restaurant, and there's this donut shop that has … "

Steve cleared his throat. "That's great. But you were saying you ran into them in the park?"

"Right." Davidson regained his original train of thought. "I talked to them for a few minutes and after they walked away I sat down on the bench to enjoy the evening air. A man sat down next to me and said he'd seen me talking to them. He asked me if I knew them well."

"Had you ever seen the man before?" Danny asked.

Davidson shook his head. "No. He just sat down beside me and started talking. I don't think he even introduced himself. He said he'd known Lt. Commander Stagler for years but lately they'd drifted apart. He implied that was all because of her husband."

Steve leaned forward. Commander Davidson, though understandably a little nervous, was coming across as open and honest. He had noted some of the man's social awkwardness himself at Carrie's party but in a more professional setting, with serious stakes, it was apparent how the man had achieved the rank of commander.

"He said he's heard things around the neighborhood." Davidson hesitated then continued. "That Parker was controlling. That he had a reputation for picking up young girls in bars. That he was cutting Carrie off from her old friends."

Steve's eyes narrowed. "What did you say when he told you all that?"

"I didn't know what to say." Davidson raked his hands through his short, graying hair. "I certainly didn't know Parker well enough to offer an opinion. But what if he was right? He said I should ask around the base and see what I could find out."

Danny and Steve shared a look which Commander Davidson picked up on.

"I didn't of course," he said. "I certainly wasn't interested in either starting a rumor or adding to any that might already be out there. So I just tried to just stay aware. Keep an eye on Lt. Commander Stagler. She reminds me a lot of my sister. I figured I'd wait until I had first-hand knowledge of something going on before I said anything."

Steve shook his head. "So, all the times you turned up where Carrie was, that was just you being protective?"

Commander Davidson looked sheepish. "Probably not the best plan, I admit. But I was concerned."

"This man who approached you in the park, can you describe him?" Steve asked.

"About six feet tall," Davidson said. "Slightly overweight. Reddish blonde hair. Glasses. Receding hairline."

"Would you be willing to sit with a police artist?" Danny asked.

Davidson nodded. "Of course."

* * *

 **Five-0 Headquarters**

 **3:05 P.M.**

"I think we have something," Chin said excitedly as Steve and Danny entered the bullpen. He was gathered around the smart table with Kono, Carrie, and John looking over page after page of new evidence. "It looks like Eric Bennett legally changed his name in 2003. Before that he was known as Patrick Rogers."

"Look at this." John pointed to the screen. "He was admitted to the Naval Academy in 1996 and expelled in the winter of 1997. He would have been in your year, Carrie."

Steve searched his memory, but the name still didn't sound familiar. "What was he expelled for?"

Chin scrolled through several more pages. "Cheating apparently."

"Wait." Carrie squinted her eyes as she fought to grab onto the details of something right at the edge of her memory. Her eyes scanned the screens. "Does it say what kind of cheating or who reported him?"

"No," Chin replied.

John eyed his wife. "Why? What are you thinking?"

"Do you remember that guy?" Carrie asked. "The one in my Calculus class. He tried to sell me the answers to the midterm. What was his name?"

"I'm not sure. It could have been Rogers," John said. "I remember he came to see me to ask me to get you to change your mind about reporting him and I said no because you were doing the right thing."

"I remember that too," Steve nodded. "What was that guy's name?"

"I'm gonna text Catherine," Carrie said. "She'll know."

She pulled out her phone and typed a quick message. "Do you remember the name of the guy I reported for cheating at the Academy? The one that tried to sell me the Calc answers."

" _Patrick something. Give me a second … Rogers."_

"Thanks! You may have just helped crack the case," Carrie typed as she looked at the others around the table. "That's him."

" _Call and give me an update as soon as you can."_

Suddenly Steve's face lit up as all the pieces fell into place in his head. "Do you remember who Patrick Rogers' roommate was?"

Carrie slapped her hands on the table. "Stuart Thompson. I remember how he whined and carried on saying he should get all As for the term because of how much it all upset him."

"Idiot," John grumbled.

"Do you mean Stuart Thompson as in the guy married to the infamous Wendy from across the hall?" Danny asked.

"One and the same," Carrie said.

"What was the description Davidson gave us of the guy in the park?" Steve asked.

Danny checked his notes. "About six feet tall. Slightly overweight. Reddish blonde hair. Glasses. Receding hairline."

"You guys stay here and keep digging. See if the lab has anything on the package label yet. Danny and I are gonna go talk to Stuart Thompson."

* * *

 **Stuart Thompson's World of Flooring**

 **3:45 P.M.**

"Steve!" Stuart greeted the men as they entered his carpet and flooring store. "And Detective Williams, isn't it? To what do I owe this honor? I wouldn't have expected to see you two in the middle of the day. Ready to buy some new flooring for your house? The office? We can handle any job."

As Steve and Danny looked around the first thing they noticed was how empty the store looked. Not only the shelves but the sample displays. It was hardly the picture of a thriving business.

"We're actually here in an official capacity," Steve said.

Stuart's demeanor changed immediately. His jovial nature slipped away. He leaned against the counter in a failed attempt to look casual. "Oh?"

"You remember Patrick Rogers from the Academy?" Steve asked.

"Of course I remember him," Stuart scoffed defensively. "He was my first roommate."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Steve asked.

"I don't know." A line of sweat appeared on Stuart's upper lip. "It's been years."

Steve pinned him with a look. "How many years?"

"Nine or ten," Stuart mumbled.

"Where was the last place you saw him?" Danny chimed in.

"I can't remember." Stuart gripped the counter carefully. "What does it matter? What's he done? He was always a bit of a troublemaker. He got expelled for cheating if you remember correctly."

"I remember," Steve nodded. "Where was the last place you saw him?"

Danny sensed the man was not the type who could hold up well under pressure and decided to push a little. "Be very careful with your answer. You do not want to lie to us right out of the gate."

Stuart stuck his jaw out in an attempt to look defiant. "I saw him about ten years ago. In California. I'd already left the Navy by then and was working for my father-in-law's landscape business. He tracked me down and came to see me. Said he needed help. He wanted money to get himself into rehab. He thought I should give it to him even though we hadn't seen each other since the day he left Annapolis."

"And you refused?" Steve guessed.

"I had my own family to worry about. Wendy had just had a baby. We were saving money, so we could start our own business and not have to be dependent on her father."

"How did he react when you said you couldn't help him?" Steve asked.

"How do you think he reacted?" Stuart spat out. "He was mad."

"What I don't get," Danny took several steps closer to Stuart, "is why he felt like you owed him? Why was that?"

Stuart stood his ground. "I have no idea."

"I guess we're just gonna have to dig into every detail of his life then," Danny said, "And if we find even one person who says you did know …"

"Fine!" Stuart exploded, then took several deep breaths to get himself back under control. "He thought I owed it to him because I was the one who actually stole the Calculus test. We were going to sell it to as many people as possible and split the money. When Carrie turned him in he decided not to take me down with him. He figured that was worth the cost of rehab."

"But it wasn't," Danny said. "At least not to you."

"I thought about it all night that night and figured maybe I really did owe it to him." Stuart's bravado slipped away completely. "He told me the day before he was sleeping on the beach, so I went looking for him. I saw the police gathered around a body. I couldn't get close, but I didn't need to. I recognized the clothes he was wearing."

"How did he end up unidentified for ten years if you knew who he was?" Steve asked.

"I figured he had ID on him but apparently not," Stuart explained. "A couple of days later I saw an article about an unidentified man dead on the beach but by then I was too scared. I didn't want to be dragged into anything."

"So why all of the sudden ten years later do you start sending threatening packages to Carrie and John?" Steve asked. "What did you hope to gain by that?"

For one second Steve and Danny could tell Stuart was going to deny any involvement then his face crumbled. He just didn't have the will to fight it anymore.

"Look around you." He waved his arms towards the nearly empty store. "My business is failing. I can't even afford to buy new samples or stock any of the hot new trends."

"I thought things were going well," Steve said. "Wendy told Catherine you got a big job doing a new condo complex."

"I did." Stuart nodded. "But Wendy spent the money as fast as it came in. The cost of living in Hawaii is high enough but when you're determined to impress the neighbors and the people at the club the money disappears faster than you can imagine."

"Every business hits a few bumps in the road," Steve said. "That's no excuse for what you've been doing."

Stuart sagged against the counter. "Maybe not. But this is the third month I can't meet expenses. I've laid off almost all my employees. I have an eviction notice for this store and my warehouse. The new house Wendy and I bought when my friend moved back to Hawaii and needed his house back? There's no way we're gonna be able to afford to keep that. So, when Wendy showed me the article about Carrie's promotion I just lost it. It's not fair that some people have all the luck, and some can't catch a break."

"Carrie worked hard for that promotion," Steve said adamantly. "Luck had nothing to do with it."

Stuart shrugged. "All I know is I never thought my life was gonna turn out like this. My first day at the Academy I felt like I was embarking on career that would last a lifetime. Patrick did too. And look at where we are now. It's not fair. We never got a break."

Steve opened his mouth to speak but caught Danny's look out of the corner of his eye telling him not to bother. A guy like Stuart would always try to find someone else to blame for everything that happened to him. His classmates, his in-laws, his wife, his kids. It was never gonna be his fault.

He wasn't evil. He was just pathetic.

Steve almost felt bad for the man. His guilt over his role in Patrick's death had most likely been eating him alive for years. Steve knew first-hand how destructive that could be.

"We'll take you down to HPD and you can call Wendy to help you make bail," Steve said as Danny finished reading Stuart his rights.

Stuart sighed. "We have no money for bail. And even if we did Wendy would probably just get me out to kill me. I'm safer in a cell."

As Danny led Stuart outside to wait for a squad car Steve pulled out his phone and dialed.

" _Hi, Sailor."_

The voice on the other end had an immediately calming effect.

" _Carrie told me what's going on."_

"We've got Stuart in custody," Steve reported. "I'll give you all the details over dinner."

 **THE END**

* * *

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